Home in the USA

We have left the land of sun,

We arrived to the cold! The climate of winter and snow our first week here. The kids loved the snow! Other then the temperature, the welcome we have received from family and friends has been very warm.

 We had bought a new house that could fit our size family in Burlington. Living in Colombia though we never saw the house except by internet and through the eyes of Nathan Heafner, a friend of ours. He went and inspected the house, and acted as our power of attorney to buy the house. So we are excited to see the house in person and to see that it is as good or better than we imagined. We had faith in the abilities of Nathan, and are thankful for his friendship. After we purchased the house Nathan and his wife Julie put in many hours getting the house ready for us to come home. Nathan had to get the well going after being dormant for two years.
We were hoping the the house would have beds so that when we flew in we could just walk through the door and go to bed. Our church, however, exceeded expectations with furnishing the whole house. Chrissy Hahn organized cleaning and scheduling to put the house together so that it would be ready when we got here. They even had food in the fridge and meals for the next weeks to help out.
 We have been blessed beyond what we would have thought. We are thankful for the love and sacrifice of those that have helped out in our transition to the states.
 We are finally getting internet and the other utilities set up. Our communication will pick up now that we are "connected" again.

'Than has learned all about the mail system here in the United States. He has already sent two letters.They think mail is a pretty neat way to communicate.

The kids were given a gift of a basket ball goal and balls. Now they are outside more than they are inside. They love playing a game of ball with Nate.

Another thing the boys have realized is that American beef franks are much tastier here verses a Colombian hot dog. The kids have been picking up broken sticks and making bonfires. It's a win win situation for us. They pick up sticks, logs, and branches. We provide marshmallows and hot dogs for their reward.

The girls have enjoyed the traditional American treats. Of course the first thing we had to make was some chocolate chip cookies. :) Praying by the time we return to Colombia they will import chocolate chips.

I wanted to take the boys on a field trip. Of course we thought the fire station was the best choice. My boys enjoyed themselves and got a grand tour of the station. We are lucky to have our old neighbor on shift that day. He made sure the boys had a great time.

Back in Colombia, Luis and Adriana have moved into our house with Debbie to watch over things. They will be continuing the work over the next year. They are excited for the this new season, though it will be a lot more work.

 Thank you for all your continued support. Pray for Luis and Adriana in Bocachica. We are going to be giving a report at 7:00 pm, at Antioch Community Church in Burlington NC on Wednesday, February 24 . If you are in the area stop by and see us!

With love,
The Ariels